1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for lifting and transporting an aircraft chair unit.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
In the servicing and maintenance of passenger aircraft, it is periodically necessary to remove the passenger seats from the aircraft cabin area. Depending on the size of the aircraft, the passenger seats are manufactured and installed in units of two, three, four or more seats. The units have leg supports which are attached to a frame under each side of the chair seat and are secured at front and rear points to the cabin floor in special tracks. Adjacent chairs share a common leg support unit. A single horizontal rear stretcher bar traverses the whole chair unit at the junction of the seats and backs, providing a strong framework for the chair unit. A baggage bar traverses the whole chair unit just above floor level and is attached to the leg supports at the front of the chair unit. The bar retains baggage under each seat.
The chair units remain in tact during aircraft servicing and maintenance and thus, removing these seating units from the aircraft can be awkward. Each individual seat may weigh as much as 200 pounds, thus a unit of two or more seats requires two or more workers to lift and carry the unit from the aircraft. Once removed, the seating units may be washed, recovered, serviced, etc. and moved from one place to another. Each move requires at least two workers to carry the seat unit.
A number of carts have been described but none of these are applicable to the transport of aircraft seat units. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,720 Dobron describes a mobile cart having adjustable supports. Taylor in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,846 discloses a jet ski transporter carriage with rails forming part of the framework. A mobile platform for a snowplow is described by Petrell in U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,898 while in U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,960 Sperko discloses a sterilizer cart with a pair of rails mounted on the frame.
It is an objective of the invention to provide a chair unit cart which securely holds the chair unit off the floor and allows the chair unit and cart to be moved to and from an aircraft and between servicing operations.
It is a further objective to provide a chair unit cart onto which a single individual can load and unload a chair unit without risking back injury caused by heavy lifting.
Applicants have devised an easy lift aircraft chair cart which enables one person to lift any size chair unit onto the cart and easily transport the chair unit and cart to and from an aircraft and between servicing operations.